Spinosaurus
Spinosaurus was a carnivorous dinosaur that lived in Africa during the Cretaceous period. The most notable feature of this dinosaur was the 6-foot sail on its back, much like the spine on ''Dimetrodon''. Spinosaurus is thought to have been a fair swimmer due to its skull and habitat; paleontologists believe it swam much like how a modern-day crocodile or alligator does. General Description In 1912, a German paleontologival expedition discovered the remains of several new Late Cretaceous dinosaurs in Egypt. Spinosaurus, a large theropod, was one of the new dinosaurs. It got its name, which means "spined reptile," because of the tall spines on its vertebrae (bones of the spine). Some spines are over five feet tall. They formed a sail along the animal's back much like those of the Permian mammal-like reptile Dimetrodon. It is interesting that an unrelated fin-backed dinosaur, the plant-eating ornithopod Ouranosaurus, has been found from nearly the same age in nearby North Africa. Two unrelated fin-backed dinosaurs in the same area may mean that the climate infuenced the development of fin-backed animals. The fin may have been a thermal regulator, releasing heat on hot days and absorbing heat on colder days. It also may have been used as a display to attract members of its own species and scare other species. Even though the skeleton is incomplete, Spinosaurus shows several other interesting features. It was a long theropod. The teeth are different from other theropod teeth because the serrations (the cutting ridges along the sides) were very small. Even more unusual is that the teeth were shaped like cones rather than blades. These tooth features, along with the shape of the skull bones, show that Spinosaurus is similar to Baryonx. They may both belong in the family Spinosauridae. Spinosaurus may have eaten fish, but it is difficult to imagine such a large dinosaur catching enough fish to keep it alive. It more likely preyed upon land animals and fish. The original skeleton of this theropod was destroyed in World War II. However a piece of a skull bone belonging to another Spinosaurus was found on a shelf in a German museum. Perhaps another expedition to Egypt would uncover more skeletons so that more can be learned about Spinosaurus. In the media Spinosaurus was the major dinosaur in the third Jurassic Park movie, the only one not based on a Michael Crichton book, and was seen fighting a Tyrannosaurus rex and winning, though this fight could never have happened in real life as the two dinosaurs lived at different times and on different continents, and the Spinosaurus received a bite to the neck that would have been fatal before it killed the T''. ''rex. This battle has led to numerous heated debates across the internet. Spinosaurs also appears in the videos games Jurrasic Park: Operation Genesis and Zoo Tycoon. It is also popular as a player made animal in ""Zoo Tycoon 2" Species *''Spinosaurus aegyptiacus'' *''Spinosaurus marocannus'' References 1. General Description Information Credits to "ROMTECH" Computer CD Dinosaur Discovery Category:Dinosaurs Category:Carnivores Category:Spinosaurids